WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BANKY W –IVIE OKUJAIYE

WHAT was the experience like working on the set of the television commercial for the revamped DSTV Compact bouquet?

Doing the television commercial for DSTV Compact bouquet was a lovely experience. Getting to work with the DSTV crew, Banky W, and Mathias, they were an extremely lovely technical crew to work with, and he taught me a couple of new things. And for this I am really glad for the opportunity, and experience.

For starters, I now know more about endorsing. I have never done a television commercial; it was very interesting, and humbling to know that of all the growing actors in the industry, I was singled out. It is very flattering. I hope to keep working hard to get more calls like this.

When you said that the experience was humbling, what exactly did you mean?

Doing the television commercial for DSTV was humbling because I got to learn a lot of things I didn’t know. Doing film is different from doing a television commercial. Doing film is different from doing stage, doing stage is different from doing a television commercial. So, for me, it was a completely new experience, and I was humbled to learn a lot from the entire crew, and organisers alike. It was a genuinely educative experience.

How was it working with Banky W, knowing he is relatively new in the business of TV directing?

Working with Banky W on this project, as the director for this television commercial, wasn’t at all different from working with any established TV, or movie director. As a matter of fact, I got comfortable in the first five minutes, because I saw that he knew precisely what he wanted, had an excellent mental visual of what was expected, but most importantly you could tell he knew what he was doing, and he was very in tune with the rest of his technical crew.

As a result of this, they had a good rapport, and they leaned on each other a lot. And if you know Banky, you will know he is very professional, very thorough, with no such thing as African time. So it was great to work with somebody who knows his onions, and has his principles intact. It was very nice.

You said during production, Banky W was always on time, can you cite one particular example of this attribute?

Well, I said that Banky W appreciates people being on time, not because anything out of the ordinary happened, but because everything was just so well organised. If food and refreshment were supposed to arrive/be served by1pm, it was there by 1pm; if the crew was supposed to start rolling (that is shooting) by 2pm, then the crew would start rolling by 2pm. When things are that organised, then you know the person in charge knows what he is doing. So, yes, it was very good.

Many actors and actresses say their acting career started on stage; did you start your career on stage?

No, I didn’t start on stage, even though I had considerable stage experience in the past. I wouldn’t necessarily say I started from the stage. My platform started with the Amstel Malta Box office, something I am still very grateful to God for.

Do you have something to say about the revamped DStv Compact?

The revamped Dstv Compact bouquet is simply perfect. It is a bouquet that will work for just about every family, so I advise Nigerians who love wholesome family entertainment content, at affordable price to hurry and go sign up for the bouquet. Their television viewing experience would be better for it.